That Was Then, This Is Now
by xcheeryx
Summary: What's the gang up to now, a few years later? [Brucas?] [Naley] [Jeyton]


Chapter 1

On The Way Home

The alarm sounded through the huge empty room. The room was bare, no furniture, no appliances, just a bed. Lucas slammed his alarm clock that read 5:30 a.m. The sun was shining through the colossal window. Lucas was moving to L.A. today.

Lucas threw his legs over the side of his bed and stepped on the chilly marble floor. He walked into his bathroom and decided to take a quick shower, but then all of a sudden his cell phone rang. He went to go pick it up. 'Who's calling at this time?' he thought.

"Yeah" he answered in a coarse voice.

"What's up, Bro?"

"Nathan, man what are you doing calling me at 5 in the morning?" Lucas asked

"My wife said that if you're $$ wasn't up and out of bed you would miss your flight" Nathan answered with a laugh.

Lucas couldn't help but laugh despite the fact it was very early. "Haley right, yeah man don't worry I'm up and I'm going to go to the airport in about 1 hour"

"Alright, what time does your flight come in anyway?"

"Uh I think it leaves at 6:40 and I'll be there around 1:30" Lucas answered a little unsure.

"You think or you're sure?" Nathan asked sarcastically

"I'm sure, so I'll talk to you later"

"Yeah yeah, later Bro" Nathan said and hung up.

Lucas glanced at his clock. "SHT!" He only had one hour to get ready and leave. He hurried into his bathroom for the second time today, this time making it. He took a quick shower, hoped out and shaved really quickly, managing to cut himself right on his jaw line.

"Sht" He cursed. 'This day is getting better by the moment' he thought to himself.

By the time he was done, he was rushing out of the room, not even looking back. He was out by the car suddenly stopped. He took one last glance at his old home, which really wasn't his real home because he was going home now. Home is where his heart was and still is, with all the people he loves.

Lucas boarded the plane and took his seat. A little fair-haired boy stared at him in awe.

"Hello, you're Mr. Scott, you're the greatest, I ...I mean I like the other Mr. Scott he's awesome too, you're going to play for the L.A. Lakers right…that's so cool, are you still going to keep your number, play the same position?" the youngster babbled.

"Wow you ask a lot of questions for such a little boy, How about you go ask your mom to come sit by me so we can talk" Lucas said. The surprise and amazement in the boy's eyes was incredible.

The two talked forever. Lucas talked about following your dreams, respecting people, and he also gave the little boy "girl" advice. It's rare when a celebrity can have an influence on a little child. Lucas saw this as a huge part of his so called off-court job. By the end of the flight the youngster had a pair of tickets and an autograph. He came off the plane mesmerized.

Lucas got his Laker's duffle bag and proceeded to the front of the plane. Lucas was excited but yet very tired. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He was up all night doing last minute packing.

Lucas heard an all too familiar voice say "Lucas Scott, the newest addition to the L.A. Lakers"

"Hales" Lucas came over and gave her a huge bear huge.

"How was your flight" Haley asked "You look so tired and beat up, I'm surprised you shaved, and what a terrible job it was"

"Hey, hey I just got in and you're already killing me with your awfully blunt comments" Lucas said trying to keep the act of being deeply hurt by her comments. Haley and Lucas shared one more hug before heading out.

They both approached the car. They stood in front of a huge Cadillac, with tinted windows and spinning rims. "Okay, wow how are you going to drive this, and how did Nate actually agree to letting you drive it" Lucas said trying not to laugh.

"Very funny, I'm fully capable of driving a big car, and besides Nathan says if I crash it won't be me getting hurt because this car is enormous". Haley retorted

The two got in the car and began to talk about everything and anything.

"So Hales, where is Nathan anyway?" Lucas asked

"Playing with basketball with Jake and little Logan in the front I think, I'm guessing you'll be joining?"

"You know it" Lucas said "So what's going on tonight? Another party?"

"Yup, once we put Jenny and Logan to bed" Haley informed Lucas." So you're happy you moved?"

"Yeah, of course I mean everyone's here, You, Nate, Ja..." and before Lucas could finish the sentence Haley interrupted "and the gorgeous and very talented Brooke Davis, you know the girl you wont admit you are totally still in love with"

"What? Hales common we're really good friends again" Lucas said trying not to smile. He got this feeling whenever he heard her name. This was a feeling he had known since high school.

"Besides common after the way I acted a couple years ago that's more then I would have asked for" Lucas said putting a touch of depth into the conversation.

"Lucas It's been a while, I can tell you still feel for her, you get that look"

"What look?" Lucas asked wanting to know how to disguise his emotions next time. He wasn't going to hurt her again, but he knew deep down inside that if he got another chance with her he wouldn't screw up. He knew that he couldn't hide how he felt for long no matter how hard he would try.

"Common the only one who doesn't see it is her, the way you look at her when she's just doing everyday kind of things like playing with Logan or braiding Jenny's hair, even just talking to people" Haley lectured " Anyway did you talk to her lately?"

"Uh yeah last night, she's done shooting in Vancouver, so she'll be back tonight" Lucas said matter-of-factly glad they were off the topic of "THE LOOK"

"Oh that's right Nathan promised to go pick her up" Haley said remembering. Her lifestyle was very hectic. She had articles to write, plan meetings, set up interviews, and plan huge parties (which was not part of her job)

Everybody these days was always busy, but they were all very close, their careers included seeing each other. The guys played ball together, and the girls did everything together. One of their most important jobs despite the whole "We're Famous" thing was raising Jenny and Logan and being a good influence. This was one big family.

Sry for any spelling errors. I was in such a rush with everything going on like School and stuff like that.

xChEeRyx

Chapter 2

Haley and Lucas drove for about 5 minutes in a comfortable silence. This was California, whoever would have thought that the gang from Tree Hill would end up living in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills to be exact. The surroundings were incredible. Everything was in full bloom.

"So Lucas when's the moving truck going to get here with all your stuff?" Haley asked.

"Around 11 tomorrow….I think" Lucas chuckled. He had a lot going on. His mind was a complete mess.

"Wow! Lucas common get with it, you're totally out of it, maybe you should get some sleep when we get to the house, you know before the party" Haley suggested

"Nah, I'm good really" Lucas reassured Haley. "What times the party anyway?"

"I think everyone's coming by around 8 maybe, oh and uhh Lucas umm" Haley stalled as she tried to tell Lucas something that she very well knew would make him flip out.

"Hales??? What is it? Now that you mentioned it you know you gotta tell me" Lucas said looking at her with his 'you gotta tell me or you're dead' stare. They pulled into the court, and just as Lucas was about to reiterate his question Haley bailed. She just jumped out of the car and yelled over her shoulder "Sorry Lucas, Nathan will tell you"

Lucas laughed out loud she 'caught him'. She was in such a hurry that she left her keys in the ignition.

Lucas opened the door of the Cadillac and stepped out into the Californian sun. This he could get used to, he thought. As his eyes adjusted to the bright sun he saw three figures playing the game he knew so well. One figure was less significant the other two.

"Uncle Luke" a little blond hair boy yelled and abandoned the game he was playing. He ran with incredible speed for a toddler but still a little careless. As the clumsy little boy approached Lucas he tripped, and fell into the waiting arms of Lucas.

"Easssy, Logan, what have you been up to?" Lucas asked genuinely interested

"I'b been playin with Daddy and Uncle Naffan" Logan answered. Lucas laughed at Logan's pronunciation.

"Really?" Lucas asked

"Yup, Uncle Naffan says I'm gonna be knocking um in from down town soon" Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Logan was now about 4 years old. He was exceedingly bright for his age. He also was a scary judge of character. If he didn't like someone based on first impression, he was right most of the time.

"What's up Luke" Jake said giving him a pound. " Logan, buddy, next time how about you slow down, Uncle Lucas won't be around to catch you if you trip" Jake informed his son.

Logan looked up at Lucas, Lucas winked and gave him a nod, as to 'yeah don't worry buddy, run as fast as you want because I'll always catch you'. By the looks of how Lucas was treating Logan anyone could tell that he would be an exceptional father someday.

"Okay Daddy, I pwomise"

Jake shook his head and laughed as he watched Logan and Lucas's exchange.

"Logan how about you run into the house and get your mom to come out, Tell Jenny Uncle Luke just got here." Jake told his son

"mmkay" Logan said as he once again sped off.

"LOGAN!! SLOWER BUDDY" Jake yelled but couldn't help to laugh.

"What's up bro?" Nathan came over and gave him a pound, identical to Jake's. "Wow man I know I called you early but I didn't think you shaved in the dark" Nathan laughed then Jake and Lucas joined in.

"Yeah, I said I was up, I didn't say that I was awake and capable of functioning" Lucas retorted  
" Now I see where Haley gets her comments from"

"Yeah well she learns from the best" Nathan bragged

"Yeah yeah whatever and speaking of Hales, next time tell her to take the keys out of the ignition before abandoning your car." Lucas said and Jake couldn't suppress his laughter.

"I swear she never learns" Nathan said and too couldn't help but laugh." Just then Peyton came out with Jenny.

"Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke" Jenny yelled

"Hey sweetie" Lucas greeted the cute brunette girl and enveloped her in a big bear hug.

"Hey Peyton" Lucas said also giving her a hug.

"Hey, how was your flight?" Peyton asked.

"It was okay, it was the only time I wished the flight was longer, so I could catch a few hours of sleep" Lucas said. He did look exhausted. "Where's Hales? Nathan, man she was about to tell me something but she mentioned it and then completely dropped it, she said you'd tell me"  
Everyone else looked at each other. Lucas could sense that they were hiding something. "Okay, whatever you guys are hiding, you need to tell me now." Lucas said staring at each and every one of them.

"Alright, Lucas you know how Haley is does an article on an athlete every so often" Peyton started off.

"Yeah, what's your point" Lucas said impatiently wanting her to get to the point.

"And well tonight he'll be at the party" Peyton said all too quickly

"Sooo, common Peyt. Get to the point" Lucas pried "Who is he?"

'He is so going to flip when he hears this' Peyton thought. "It's Kyle Leery" Peyton said

Lucas's eyes grew wider. "NO WAY! Are you kidding me? That son of a …" Lucas stopped himself remembering that Jenny was present.

"Jenny" Lucas said bending down to her eye level "How bout you go play with Logan for a little bit" Lucas said trying to get a little privacy.

"Okay but will you come and play with us later" Jenny begged

"Sure sweetie" Lucas said in a calm and soothing voice. Just as Jenny scampered off his expression changed and he turned around to face Peyton, Jake, and Nathan.

"I swear I hate him, If it wasn't enough that we were teammates last year" Lucas said

He wasn't lying but he wasn't being completely honest either. Kyle liked Brooke a lot, but Lucas could tell from the beginning that she was just another girl to Kyle. When he and Lucas were teammates Kyle talked about Brooke like she was just a girl he could use. Once Lucas realized that, that is when Kyle and Lucas's friendship turned into hatred. He still had feelings for Brooke even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. He couldn't stomach the thought of her being with someone else.

"Right Lucas… and this has nothing to do with the fact that he wants Brooke?" Nathan asked

"Common you guys you gotta stop with the accusations, we're great friends" Lucas said

Everyone looked at him and burst into laughter.

"Shut up" Lucas said laughing. 'Hiding your feeling, great job Lucas' He thought to himself.

"When's her flight coming in anyway" Lucas asked.

"Tonight around 10 maybe" Nathan answered

"Okay, you guy it's really hot out here, lets take this inside" Peyton suggested

Everyone agreed and proceeded to Haley and Nathan's house.

Next- Brooke flies home. Party. Drinks. And w.e. other drama I can come up with. This is only the first part of the second chapter so I'll get part 2 up as soon as I can. Maybe Friday.

Sry for any spelling errors… it's pretty late and my eyes are not cooperating with me. I can't keep them open anymore.

A Few Hours Later

The staff that set up the space for the party had finished working and left. The pool was glowing with a bright blue color. On the left side of the rectangular pool was a pool slide. There was a diving board at the head of the deep end. About a couple hundred feet further from the pool was the Jacuzzi. It was a secluded area where people could enjoy their privacy. There was a huge bar set up by the deck and further off were a few tables and chairs. The DJ was already doing a sound check.

Haley was in the kitchen with Peyton and Jenny. Haley was getting the ice out of the refrigerator.  
Peyton was unwrapping an ice cream cone for Jenny.

"I swear the guys better not get wasted this time, I don't like waking up and going outside to find my lawn covered in puke." Haley said. Peyton nodded her head and laughed.

"Yeah I know, but last time Nathan did clean it up" Peyton pointed out.

"Yeah … because it was mostly his puke" Haley laughed

"Hey! that's not fair" Nathan said. Haley and Peyton both turned around to find Nathan leaning against the doorway. "I had a stomach virus I swear" Everyone laughed.

"Excuses, Excuses" Haley said. Nathan came up beside Haley and gave her a kiss. "I have you believing them, don't I" Nathan said giving her that innocent look she couldn't resist.

"Hales, you're hopeless" Peyton said looking at the twosome.

"Mommy, can I stay for the party? Please" Jenny begged

"Jenny, I thought daddy and I told you already that you're too young to stay, you and Logan will be with the baby sitter"

"But, Aunt Brooke is coming tonight, you said I could see her as soon as she came" Jenny persisted. Peyton did promise her two kids that they could see their aunt Brooke.

"Okay, but as soon as it starts to get late, I'm walking you and Logan home and you're going to bed" Peyton could never refuse anything to a child, whether it be her child or not.

"Yey" Jenny yelled and ran out of the kitchen "I'm going to tell Logan"

Logan was sitting outside with Nathan and Lucas playing basketball. Just then a car pulled up.  
It was a white Mercedes. Lucas knew that car; he used to see it everyday in New York. It was Kyle Leery.

Nathan noticed what Lucas's gaze was focused on. "Okay, Bro, don't kill him…yet." Nathan said.

"Nah, I'm not going to touch him…yet" The two shared a laugh. Kyle approached them with his normal cocky attitude. He carried himself as if he was better then everyone else.

"What's up Nate?" Kyle said giving him a firm handshake  
"Hey" Nathan answered

"Lucas" Kyle said bitterly

"Kyle" Lucas answered just as harsh.

The tension between the two could be seen from miles away.

"What's up chump" Kyle said to Logan.

Logan scrunched up his cute little face in disgust "Nothing…Chump" Logan answered  
Both Nathan and Lucas couldn't help but laugh at this, even a four year old didn't like Kyle.

"So Nathan where's the party at?" Kyle asked

"Out back, everybody should be near the pool" Nathan answered. Kyle shook his head and began to walk away, but paused and turned around. "Hey Nate by any chance is Brooke gonna be here?"

'You just couldn't help yourself could you' Nathan thought about Kyle. Nathan looked at Lucas. He could see the fire burning in his eyes. Nate was impressed that Lucas was controlling himself.  
'I'm gonna kill him one day' Lucas thought to himself.

"Yeah she will" Nathan said. Kyle once again turned around and began walking toward the house.

"Man, I really think he's getting hit tonight" Lucas said still glaring at Kyle's retreating figure.

"Yeah just make sure you're drunk, so you can blow it off the next day" Nathan said with a laugh

"Nah, I need to be sober, I wanna remember the look on his face" Lucas said and laughed

Both the guys laughed again because they knew that Lucas would actually do it.

Later that night

The party was in full swing. Everyone was dancing, drinking, and swimming in the pool. There were so many people.

Nathan was already a little buzzed. You could tell because he already fell into the pool 3 times, with his clothes on.

Lucas was hanging out with Peyton and Jake, as Haley approached them.

"Wow! That guy Leery guy is a world class jerk, he's so full of himself" Haley said after interviewing him.

"Yeah, who knew" Lucas said sarcastically. Everyone laughed. Lucas looked at his watch it was around 8:30. He then looked at Nathan, who once again tripped into the pool.

"Hey Hales, gimme the keys to Nate's car. I'm gonna go pick up Brooke from the airport, and I suggest you get your husband out of the pool before he drowns" Lucas said

Everyone turned around and looked towards the pool area.

"Sure Luke, let me get the keys, because lord knows I don't want him driving" Haley said and walked back into the house. Lucas said bye to Peyton and Jake and followed Haley. Haley handed Luke the keys.

"Don't worry Hales I won't leave them in the ignition" Luke said sarcastically

"Hey, it was one time" Haley said hitting Luke on the arm playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure" Lucas said and walked out the front door to the court.

He got in the car and drove to the airport.

Brooke's POV

Brooke sat near the window as the plane approached LAX. All the lights were glowing. She enjoyed this view. She was so happy to be coming home. She finished shooting her movie and was so thankful that she had a lot of time off. Although she was tired she was pretty excited to come home and go to a party. Brooke could never refuse a party.

The plane landed 20 minutes late. Brooke put her magazine into her bag and stood up to stretch.  
'Nathan better still be here, I hope he didn't leave' Brooke thought.

She proceeded to the front of the plane, thanked the pilots, and left. She walked out of the terminal near the waiting area. She looked around for Nathan. She didn't see him. Brooke waited for about five minutes. 'He is so dead' she thought as she dialed Nathan's cell, it went straight to voicemail.

Lucas's POV

There she was. He watched her as she came out of the terminal. Her brown hair a little longer then it was the last time her saw her. She looked tired but he could tell. Brooke never appeared tired to anyone, she was always cheerful. She was always pumped and ready to go. But he could always tell.

He sat slumped down in his chair watching her, he saw her pulling out her cell phone and dialing who he guessed was Nathan. He was enjoying this. He found Brooke sexy when she was pissed.

No more use of POVs

"Nathan you better get your butt over to the airport, call me back when you get this, I guess I'm going to get a cab, by the way you're dead when I see you" Brooke said leaving the voicemail.

Brooke was now practically standing a couple feet away from Lucas with her back turned to him.

Lucas knew she was going to call him next, well at least he hoped she would.

Sure enough Brooke began to dial Lucas's number. Lucas's phone started to ring, but he was quick enough to shut it off.

'Ugh Luke too, what the hell are they up to?' Brooke thought.

Brooke was forced to leave a voicemail. "Lucas, your dumb brother forgot to pick me up. You know Nathan he probably fell asleep or something, anyways I was calling to see if you could give me a ride, but I guess I could get a cab" Brooke said

She was so tired she didn't want to go get a cab, she didn't want to carry her stuff, nonetheless walk.

Lucas couldn't stand it anymore, he would have probably continued for a couple more minutes if it wasn't for the urge to hug her.

"Actually, he's drunk off his $$" Lucas said out loud and got up from his seat.

CHAPTER 3 ---part 1

Brooke turned around with a smile on her face. "Hey Handsome" Brooke said just like old times. Lucas walked over to her kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. Brooke missed being in his arms and Lucas missed having her in them. It wasn't one of those polite hugs, the "hey nice to see you, 2 second hugs'. It was longer, the 'I missed you so much, I don't think I could have gone another day without seeing you' hug.

Lucas inhaled the smell of her. Her hair smelled like fruit and it drove him crazy. Brooke knew it did. Brooke felt him bury his nose into her hair.

"Yeah I missed you too" Brooke said sarcastically

"You know you're going to kill me one day." Lucas said referring to her hair. If he mentioned this to anyone, they wouldn't know that he was referring to her scent, but she knew.

"I can't help that you're addicted" Brooke said and laughed still enveloped in his arms. He let out a soft chuckle into her hair. His breath sent shivers all over her body. She did not want him to know that he had such an effect on her.

Brooke couldn't stand it anymore, if she didn't step back things would get out of hand.  
Lucas couldn't take it either. So they both simultaneously pulled apart and just looked at each other. It was like a staring contest. Brooke was the first to break. She hit him in the arm lightly.

"Hey" Lucas said moving away

"You watched me freak out and didn't say anything, you'll so pay for that" Brooke said

"Had to take the opportunity" Lucas said taking her bag. Brooke allowed herself to be led to the car. She was so tired; she was practically leaning on Lucas.

Brooke was the type of girl who always did everything herself. She would never show her weaknesses to anyone, But Lucas knew them all. Lucas had her heart. He could either cherish and protect it or break it.

Brooke and Lucas approached Nathan's car. Lucas popped the trunk open and put her bags in. Brooke and Lucas talked for a couple minutes about her flight and then a calm silence surrounded them.

Lucas turned to look at Brooke and saw that she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful and at ease. Just as his mind once again was filled with a million thoughts about Brooke a certain song came on the radio.

I wont talk  
I wont breathe  
I wont move till you finally see  
that you belong with me

You might think I don't look  
But deep inside  
In the corner of my mind  
I'm attached to you  
I'm weak  
Its true  
Cuz I'm afraid to know the answers  
Do you want me too?  
Cuz my heart keeps falling faster

I've waited all my life  
To cross this line  
To the only thing that's true  
So I will not hide  
Its time to try  
Anything to be with you  
All my life I've waited  
This is true

You don't know what you do  
Every time you walk into the room  
I'm afraid to move  
I'm weak  
Its true  
I'm just scared to know the ending  
Do you see me too?

He glanced over at Brooke's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. He was without a doubt attached. It was now 11 o'clock. Lucas pulled up in front of a Starbuck's. He got out of the car, leaving Brooke behind. He made sure to lock the car doors. He walked into Starbuck's, ordered to one Arabian Mocha Java and one Decaf Mocha Java.

He got back into the car and placed the coffee in the cup trays. He thanked that Brooke was still asleep. He didn't want her waking up to him not being there. 'Wait' he thought 'why should she care, she wakes up every morning without you there, so it shouldn't matter'

Brooke slowly began to open her eyes. She looked over at Lucas. He looked deep in thought.

"You think too much, you might hurt yourself you know" Brooke said her voice was still hoarse from sleep.

Lucas snapped out of his trance and looked at Brooke with a smile. "Hey sleepy, finally up"

"Yup" Brooke said contently and she sat up and faced Lucas.

"I resent that by the way" Luke said handing her a coffee.

"Thank you" Brooke said. "So what were you thinking about, huh?"

"Nothing" Lucas said

"Uh huh, okay, well you know I'll get it out of you eventually" Brooke said sipping on her coffee.

Lucas turned to her and smirked. That smirk in addition to his blue eyes was a lethal combination. It could do some serious damage to a girl. Brooke felt her stomach do flips. She told herself numerous times that they were just friends. If that was the truth why was she feeling this way just sitting next to him or looking at him?

"So who's at the party anyway?" Brooke asked

"Haley, Nathan, Peyton and Jake" Lucas said trying to remember people who were there.

"Jenny and Logan are there too, Peyton let them wait for you"

"Peyton let them stay out, it's pretty late" Brooke said

"Yeah, they were about to throw a fit if she said no" Lucas said with a chuckle.

"Okay, Lucas who else is there? I've known you for a while and I know when something or someone is bothering you" Brooke said.

Lucas pulled over in front of the house shut the ignition off and turned to look at Brooke

Lucas shook his head and smiled "what do you mean, nothing's bothering me" Lucas said hoping she would believe him. But she knew him better then that.

Brooke shook her head and slapped him lightly on the arm. "You're such a bad liar"

They both laughed as they got out of the car and headed toward Haley and Nathan's house. The music could be heard in the front yard. You could hear people screaming, laughing, and whistling.

"Hey Brooke are you sure you wanna go, you seemed pretty tired back in the car" Lucas asked concerned

"Yeah, for a little while I have to see Logan and Jenny anyway." Brooke said

"Yeah, they've been going insane wanting you to come home" Lucas said

Inside the house

"Mommy when is Aunt Brooke coming?" Logan asked loudly

"Yeah, I want to see her already, I miss her" Jenny added

"Nuh Uh" Logan said "I miss her mow"

"I missed you more" Brooke answered overhearing the conversation

Jenny and Logan gasped in surprise and ran to Brooke. Logan ran so fast and jumped into Brooke's arms. Just as she picked Logan up, Jenny ran and wrapped herself around Brooke.  
The momentum of these kids was so great that Brooke would have fallen if it weren't for Lucas steadying her at the hips.

"Easy there guys, we don't want all of you falling" Lucas said removing his hands from Brooke's hips. The two made eye contact and looked away, both trying very hard to ignore the feelings that are inside them.

Peyton looked at this exchange, rolled her eyes and laughed. "Best friend" Peyton said giving Brooke a hug.

"Hey Peyt" Brooke said returning her hug. "So where is everyone else?"  
"Brooke, oh my god, I've missed you so much" Haley said running over and hugging Brooke

"Tutor girl" Brooke exclaimed like old times. Haley looked at her with the evil eye; she hated being called that because it was so long ago.

"Hey, Hey old habits die hard" Brooke said defending her slip of tongue and giving Haley another hug.

"Alright Jenny, Logan it's time for bed" Peyton told her children

"But Mom" Both the children whined simultaneously.

"Don't but me" Peyton said

Brooke laughed at this because it was still so unreal to her that her best friend was a mother and a great one too.

"Hey Peyt, how about you let me put them to bed" Brooke suggested. Both the kids looked at Peyton with puppy dog eyes.

"Brooke are you sure? I mean this IS a party" Peyton asked. Everyone laughed because Brooke was the last person to pass up a party.

"Very funny." Brooke said "I'm pretty tired and besides I have fun with them"

"Okay Brooke, but don't come to me begging to get them to sleep when they refuse to change, brush their teeth and when they're jumping on their bed singing your songs" Peyton said

"Nah, we'll be fine, right guys?" Brooke asked Jenny and Logan

"Uh huh" Logan said. "Yeah we'll be good" Jenny added.

"Hey Brooke, once you get them to bed, take a shower or something. If you want crash at our place tonight" Peyton offered

"Yeah, umm Luke can I have the keys for the car?" Brooke yelled across the kitchen to Lucas, who was talking to Haley. She was begging Lucas to get Nathan out of the pool.

"Alright Hales, I'll get him out" Lucas said to Haley as he tossed the keys over to Brooke.

Brooke took the keys put them in her back pocket, picked Logan up and took Jenny by the hand and left.

Haley brought Lucas to where Nathan was. He was hanging over the ledge of the pool semi asleep.

"Do you see what I mean?" Haley said pointing to her intoxicated husband.

"Yeah" Lucas said. He couldn't help but laugh. He bent over and pulled Nathan out of the pool.

"He's all yours" Lucas said laying Nathan down on a lounge chair.

"Get Lucas, leave me with an alcoholic" Haley said. She was always worried when Nathan drank. He was usually very responsible. Haley let him lay for a couple minutes before she went to get some Ginger Ale.

Lucas was talking to Jake and drinking when he heard a voice he resented. Kyle walked over with one of his buddies and began talking about a very sensitive subject right in front of Lucas.  
It was obvious Kyle wanted to push Lucas's buttons.

"So Luke, I hear Brooke back" Kyle said

"Yeah, what's your point" Lucas said not even looking Kyle in the eyes

"Oh I don't know I was thinking I could, you know, tap that tonight" Kyle said

Lucas clenched his jaw and turned to Kyle "You're not her type, so I suggest you stay the fk away from her" Lucas said

Jake got up seeing the tension was not going to subside. Jake knew that Lucas was wasted.

"Oh common, just because you blew it with her doesn't mean the slut is of limits, besides she doesn't have a type" Kyle said.

That was the final straw. Lucas had had enough. He got up and walked over to Kyle. They were face to face. Lucas was a little taller then Kyle.

"I think you should leave if you know what's good for you, and if you say one more thing about her you're going to wish you were never born" Lucas said in a low but tough voice only audible to Kyle.

"Is that a threat? What the hell are you gonna do? What hi…" And before Kyle could finish his  
sentence Lucas's fist made contact with his jaw. The crack was heard through out the party.

It took blow to the stomach for Kyle to double over. Lucas didn't stop there. There were more punches thrown before Jake and a semi sober Nathan held Lucas down.

Brooke turned the water off and stepped out of the steamy shower. She quickly towel dried her hair. She was about to walk out of the bathroom when Peyton came running in.

"Brooke! You have to get over to Nathan and Haley's right now!" Peyton said in a panic.

"What? Why?" Brooke asked confused

"Because Lucas is incredibly drunk and just beat the crap out of someone" Peyton said gasping between words.

Brooke's jaw dropped open "Oh my god"

Brooke quickly put on a pair of pajama pants and a black tank top. At this point she could care less how she looked. Pajamas, wet hair, and no make up. She walked back into the room where Peyton was checking on the kids.

"You got them to bed" Peyton said

Brooke laughed, but she sure wasn't at ease. "Yeah, I'm going so I'll see you tomorrow" Brooke said giving Peyton a hug goodbye.

"Yeah bye sweetie" Peyton said returning the quick hug.

Brooke was walking out the door but stopped and turned around. "Peyt. Is he a mess?" Brooke asked a little afraid.

"Yeah…he is" Peyton answered nodding her head

Brooke shook her head in understanding and left. Lucas was never the person to be a mess. He was always in control. When someone needed to be helped or cared for, he was the one usually doing the helping and caring, not the other way around. Brooke wondered what came over Luke.

CHAPTER 3: The Complete Loss of Control

Brooke walked through an already opened door. The guests where leaving. She saw Haley talking to a paramedic that stayed behind to confirm the happenings of the night.

She saw Nathan and Jake talking in the kitchen. They seemed worried. Jake had his head on the counter and Nathan was running his hand through his hair.

"Hey guys, I came as soon as Peyton told me… is he okay" Brooke asked

"If vomiting is okay, then yeah," Nathan said.

"He's pretty disappointed, but I don't see why," Jake said with a laugh, "He did break the guy's jaw, I wouldn't be disappointed if I broke that jerk's jaw."

"Who was the guy?" Brooke asked interested.

Jake and Nathan looked at each other just as Haley came toward them looking exhausted.

"Okay, once his $$ is better, I'm going to kick it" Haley said "The paramedic said Kyle's jaw was broken and his ribs might be bruised" Nathan and Jake looked at each other and then at Brooke, they weren't planning on telling her who Lucas beat up.

"Oh, come on. Bullshit! He hit him twice," Nathan said defending Lucas.

"Yeah, it wasn't even that hard," Jake said showing his support, "He asked for it."

"Yeah you're right, a broken jaw and a couple bruised ribs, not hard…right," Haley said a little disappointed that the guys were not seeing her point. "It doesn't matter if he asked for it or not, Lucas would never do something like that. I really want to know what he said."

Brooke shook her head at the guys' attempt to cover up the identity of the injured party.

Nathan scratched his head and looked away. "Uh I gotta go clean up by the pool."

"Yeah, I'll help," Jake said

"Yeah…okay" Haley said as her and Brooke laughed.

"You know and I thought they get smarter with age" Brooke said

"Hales do you have some Listerine?" Brooke asked thinking of Lucas.

"Yeah in the hallway closet we should have a new bottle," Haley said, "But uh…Brooke when I walked into the bathroom the last time I was asked to leave, so I don't suggest you go," Haley advised Brooke. "He's a mess"

Both Brooke and Haley knew Lucas never wanted anyone seeing him in the condition he was in at the moment.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the bathroom. 'It's worth a try' Brooke thought to herself.

As Brooke approached the bathroom she could hear the sound of unease and discomfort. The sound of vomiting and coughing echoed through the hall as she came to a stop in front a closed door. 'Okay Brooke! Get a grip! He needs someone now!' she kept telling herself over and over. Lucas usually would be on the other side of this scenario. And this was no scenario, this was actually happening.

Brooke's hand reached for the door knob, she slowly twisted it but did not push the door open. She let go of the knob. Was she ready to go in there? See him at his weakest point? She gathered herself and once again lifted her hand to turn the knob. This time she opened it leisurely.

That's when she saw him. He was a wreck. His composure…destroyed. His train of thinking…derailed. Her mind drew a blank. He was strong and had a great amount of self-discipline. What had driven him to this point? She thought.

His stomach felt so sore. He got this feeling whenever he worked out too much, but this was 20 times worse. His throat felt strained, he felt like he couldn't breathe more or less speak. He grasped the toilet bowl once again and emptied an already empty stomach.

Brooke came in without saying a word, placed the mouth wash on the counter.

"I don't need anyone here Hales," Lucas said in a scratchy voice. He told Haley before when she came in that he wanted to be left alone and for no one to bother him. Brooke knew better, she didn't budge.

Lucas once again began to empty his insides out. Brooke could see his muscles bulge in his arms and back. Brooke laid her steady hand over his back muscles and smoothed them out.

Lucas jumped at this contact. He didn't think anyone was there. He thought it was Haley that came in the second time, and left when he asked her to. He pulled away. He couldn't even look up to see who was standing next to him because his neck felt so weak.

Brooke knelt down next to him and once again put her hand on his back. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her chestnut hair he knew it was Brooke. With all his might he picked his head up just to make certain it was her. Just like that blue met with brown. Lucas just stared for what seemed forever but was really about a few second but soon was once again hugging the toilet. Lucas now knew that it was Brooke. She was relieved he didn't ask her to leave, like he did Haley. He was relieved as well. He wasn't sure if it was because Brooke was there or if it was because he was done vomiting.

He loosened his grip on the toilet and his breathing slowed. Brooke saw this and was put somewhat at ease.

"I'm going to get you something to drink… non alcoholic" She said the last part a little lower.  
She got up slowly and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She walked into the kitchen to see that no one was there. She opened the cupboard and got a glass that she filled with cold water.

She opened the door once again it was like Deja vu, Lucas vomiting. This was the type of vomit that tortures a person. The kind where there's nothing left in your stomach. Brooke knelt near Lucas and set the water on the floor next to her being careful not to spill it.

Brooke held her hand on Luke's back. His shirt was damp from perspiration. Lucas leaned back in exhaustion. He leaned against Brooke. She reached over for the water and handed it to him.

"Here you should drink something," she said.

"Non-alcoholic right" Lucas said with a chuckle remembering what Brooke had said before she left.

"Nice to see you still have your sense of humor," Brooke said. She was happy to see a sober part of Lucas shining through.

Lucas drank all the water. He was so drained. His muscles were aching and his throat was burning.

"Luke, do want me to help you get to the couch or something" Brooke asked.

"Nah, I think I'm going to be spending the night in here" Lucas stated. He wasn't sure if the vomiting would return and he knew Haley would kill him if he vomited anywhere but the bathroom.

"Go ahead, you should go get some sleep" He didn't want to force Brooke to stay with him.

Brooke gave him a dubious look and shook her head. She brought her hand up slowly and touched his damp forehead. Her touch was so soothing to him.

"I'll be right back," Brooke said in a low voice. She kissed his damp forehead before getting up.

He was slouching. He wanted to shut his eyes so bad and just let go.

Brooke shut the door behind her and walked into the kitchen to see if anyone was there. It was vacant just like the time before. She looked out the patio door. She saw Nathan and Haley sitting out near the pool. She opened the door and began walking toward them.

"Brooke you look exhausted," Haley said looking at Brooke.

"Yeah well having to adjust to the time change really doesn't help," Brooke said with a tired chuckle. "Doesn't look so bad out here, kind of clean actually," Brooke said referring to the mess from party.

"Yeah, that's only because it's dark out here, wait until morning" Nathan said

Everyone gave a weary laugh. "Anyways, Nathan do you know where Luke's bag is? I need to get him a dry shirt"

"Uh I think he left it in the living room," Nathan said a little unsure, "or maybe in the guest room, I'm really not sure"

"Thanks," Brooke said turning away and walking back towards the house.

"Okay no more parties, Nate," Haley said looking around

"Yeah you're right, from now on we won't throw anymore," Nathan said reaching his hand out to Haley to pull her up from the lounge chair.

Nathan pulled Haley in under his arm and they walked slowly toward the house.

"But we can still go to them. Right Hales?" Nathan asked with a smile.

Haley playfully hit Nathan in the stomach.

"For being drunk, I'm impressed that you think ahead" Haley said to Nathan with a laugh.

"Oh, that was a shot below the waist Hales!" Nathan said laughing.

"You know what we all need?" Haley asked.

"What?" Nathan said kissing her on the head.

"A vacation, somewhere we won't be bothered, where everyone can relax and unwind"

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea, we can probably go right after the championship game," Nathan said.

"I'll talk to Brooke and Peyton about it tomorrow" Haley said yawning as they walked into their room.

"Nathan, do you need the bathroom first?" Haley asked.

"Nah, go ahead" Nathan said. Haley shook her head and grabbed her pjs and walked into the bathroom.

As soon as the door to the bathroom was closed Nathan took of his shoes, shirt, and pants and collapsed on the bed. He was so tired.

Haley walked out of the bathroom to find an already sleeping Nathan. She decided against going to check on Lucas and Brooke. She knew Brooke had everything under control. Haley laid down and immediately felt Nathan's warm arm wrap around her side. They both fell into a peaceful slumber.

This night was very eventful. Everyone was worn out. Sleep was on everyone's mind.

Brooke walked into the living room and looked for Luke's bag. She found it sitting in the corner of the room near the couch. She picked it up and placed it on the couch. The bag wasn't very heavy. This led Brooke to believe that only the essential things were in it.

When she opened it she found his Lakers uniform, his shorts and inconveniently for her his tee-shirts at the bottom.

There was also a book. 'Just like him' Brooke thought.

When Brooke picked up the book a photograph slipped out ...

Chapter 4

**Care and Affection**

Brooke placed the book back, but was completely oblivious to the picture. She didn't even bother closing his bag. She just turned away and walked towards the bathroom with a white tee shirt clutched in her hand.

"Sht" Lucas muttered loudly. Brooke said she'd be back but Lucas didn't want to wait for her just to help him up off the floor. He was opening the bathroom cabinet to get the Listerine, managing to hit himself with the cabinet door in the head. This brought him back to reality. He felt his head begin to hurt and the gash began to sting. Lucas couldn't understand how bumping his head into the cabinet door could cause such pain.

Brooke turned the corner to the bathroom and saw Lucas leaning against the bathroom sink holding the side of his forehead. There was a pained expression on his face.

"Jesus Luke, what the hell did you do?" Brooke said taking his arm away from his forehead to examine the damage he had caused.

"Brooke it's nothing," Lucas said pulling his head away from her.

"Sit down and shut up," Brooke said pulling his head towards her. "Yeah Lucas, it's nothing… just a gash that's bleeding," Brooke said sarcastically trying to examine his head for the second time.  
She let his head go, and forced herself not to look down into his eyes because she knew she would never be physically able to tear away. His gaze was captivating and entrancing. It was alluring and magnetic, but Brooke with all her might turned towards the sink to look for the first aid kit.

Lucas sloppily hopped up on the counter and leaned against the chilly wall tiles. The cold was pleasing to his back, his shirt was wet and the cold sent shivers up and down his back.  
Brooke opened the cabinet that was over the sink. She rummaged through the cabinet only finding a box of bandages, a few alcohol swabs, and some unmediated epoxy resin strips.

"Lucas, you're going to have to sit up for a couple of minutes" Brooke said opening the alcohol swab packet. She pulled the piece of material out and moved closer to Lucas who was attempting to sit up. As soon as the smell of the alcohol reached Lucas' nose he pulled back by instinct. It was an impulse. The smell of alcohol was enough to make him want to vomit.

"Get that away from me Brooke, I swear if you touch me with that..." Lucas yelled. It would have been a yell that would have woke the whole house up, but since his throat was sore it was of minimum volume.

"Lucas sit still, you big baby," Brooke said tugging on his tee shirt to bring him closer to her.  
The feel of the damp shirt made her remember the tee shirt she got from his bag. "Fine, take your shirt off," Brooke said. She mentally slapped herself for her choice of wording.

At this comment Lucas' head shot up. He gave Brooke both a baffled and amused look.  
"You're not thinking of taking advantage of me, are you Brooke?" Lucas said with a chuckle.

"Oh shut up," Brooke said throwing a clean white tee shirt at him.  
"What were you looking for in the cabinet anyway?" Brooke asked Lucas as he began to pull his shirt over his head.

"Lister…uhh sht" Lucas couldn't finish his sentence because of his carelessness in removing his shirt. The neck of the shirt nipped at his forehead just above his eyebrow where the gash was.

"Nice one," Brooke said pulling his collar gently away from his forehead. She pulled it back just enough for him to get rid of the shirt.

"Oh and by the way the Listerine was on the counter the whole time," Brooke pointed to the bottle sitting two feet away from him. Lucas looked to his left to see a bottle of green fluid.

He shook his head, they both laughed. God he loved her laugh. That was one of his favorite things about her. The sound of her laughter was like a melody, and that melody was one of a kind. The thought of being deprived of it made him want to stop breathing.

One glance at a shirtless Luke was enough to make a girl lose her mind, but Brooke was trying not to make it so apparent that he still had an affect on her. She took a deep breath and prayed that he didn't notice her inhale deeply.

"Okay" Brooke said calmly as she held up another packet of the alcohol swab. "Are you going to let me do this or not?"

Lucas exhaled hopelessly "Yeah, I guess" he said although he knew she was going to do it anyway, she was just asking to avoid possible physical aggression.

"Okay" Brooke said moving in between his legs and holding his head steady. She slowly patted the cut, removing the blood. She wiped the blood that trickled down to his eyebrow as well. She then took a dry strip of cloth and just held it on the cut for a short period of time being careful not to put a lot of pressure on it.

All this time Lucas was watching her. He looked at her hair that was now in a ponytail, she had pieces falling onto her face. He looked at her eyes. They were beautiful. There was so much emotion in them. Her eyes always gave her away, to him anyway. Then his eyes wandered to her lips.

'Okay Lucas, don't go there' he thought to himself. Thoughts like this would get him in trouble, or would they?

Brooke put a clean strip on the cut and placed two bandages on each side. "There" She said as she looked at him. She was surprised to see that he was already looking at her. "All done"

"Thanks Brooke" Lucas said putting his clean tee shirt on.

"Anytime, just don't make this an everyday kind of thing, okay?" Brooke said with a laugh holding the collar of his shirt just so he wouldn't touch the bandaging.

"Yeah, I know" Lucas said with a quiet chuckle that drove Brooke crazy.

Brooke moved from the current position she was in, which was between his legs to handing him the Listerine bottle and beginning to put away the first aid supplies.

He hopped of the counter with somewhat of grace. He walked over to the sink and washed his mouth out with Listerine.

"I'm going to go make some coffee, do you want some?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke? Coffee? Don't you want to go to bed?" Lucas asked surprised how she was still functioning.

"Yeah, I need caffeine, its 7 am how am I supposed to last the day" Brooke said. She wasn't planning on going to bed now. It was already morning. She had things to do.

"Brooke you should really get some sleep, you flew in last night and the time change and all that" Lucas said trying to convince her to get some rest.

"You know you're crazy Brooke," Lucas said shaking his head "but yeah make me a cup"  
He would never pass up the opportunity to just talk to her, even if it was 7 in the morning and he was dying to go to bed.

Brooke laughed and shook her head. "Okay" She grabbed his tee shirt off the counter and walked out of the bathroom.

Chapter 5 The Beating of His Heart

On her way to the kitchen Brooke opened the laundry closet and tossed Lucas' shirt in. She then continued to the kitchen to make the coffee. She flicked the on button and leaned against the counter. Brooke was exhausted. She practically hadn't slept for 24 hours. She closed her eyes and she felt that she could possibly fall over any moment.

"You know, we should really forget about the coffee and go crash on the couch" Lucas said leaning against the same counter Brooke was leaning on.

"Jesus, Lucas" Brooke said startled. "Don't do that!!"

Lucas chuckled at how cute she looked when she was scared. Lucas got up and walked over to the cupboard and took two coffee mugs out. "So what do you say? Coffee or Couch?" He was hoping for the couch.

Brooke looked from the coffee to Lucas. He had put his best pleading look on.

"As tempting as that sounds I'm going to have to go with the coffee, I need to do a few things anyway." Brooke said in a tired voice not turning around to look at him.

Lucas sighed. But he had something in mind, if he knew Brooke well enough this would work.

"Alright, listen I'm going to go get some sleep" Lucas said to Brooke's back "if you change your mind I'm in the living room"

"Uh huh" Brooke said pouring herself a cup of coffee. She didn't want to turn around and see that unbelievably cute persuasive look that always got to her.

Brooke stood there for a second looking into her coffee cup. She was extremely tired. 'Okay screw the coffee I'm going to get some sleep' Brooke thought. She turned around to find a very amused Lucas still leaning against the very same counter he was just a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, I was wondering how long it would take you to pick the couch" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Ugh, whatever" Brooke said playfully hitting Lucas in the arm. "Just for a little bit"

"Uh huh, Sure" Lucas said sarcastically putting his arm around Brooke as they walked into the living room.

They both collapsed on the couch. Lucas sighed, and rubbed his head. "Wow I'm so tired" Brooke said in a low voice. "Yeah I know what you mean" Lucas said in the similar low voice.

Brooke opened her eyes and felt like there was something missing. She got up slowly. She was feeling very light headed. 'Pillows and blankets' Brooke thought 'that's what we're missing'.

Brooke stumbled as she got up and started to walk past Lucas who was lying on his back with his hands resting on his head. Without opening his eyes he grabbed Brooke's arm. It was amazing how accurate he was. It was like a sixth sense really. The way he knew where she was without even needing to open his eyes.

"Hey, I thought you wanted to slee…" Lucas was cut off by a body on top of his. Brooke had lost her balance due to being so drained and fatigued.

"owww….Lucas I swear I'm going to kill you one day…not now cause I'm to tired" Brooke said in a tired voice. "Sorry" Lucas said with a quiet chuckle. She could feel his whole body vibrate under her. "You know what?"

"Hmm?" Lucas mumbled. He was unquestionably enjoying being next to her. It felt so right.

"You're stuck with me now, there is no way I can get up" Brooke said

"Mmhmm" Lucas said breathing in the scent of her hair. They were lying so that Brooke's head was carefully resting on Lucas' chest and Lucas' chin was resting on top of her head.

Lucas fell asleep with his arm wrapped around Brooke protectively and she fell asleep to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

It wasn't the pillows and the blankets that were missing after all.

Nathan/Haley's Room

Nathan was forced to open his eyes because of the sunlight shining through the window curtains.  
He looked at Haley who was peacefully lying on his chest. He gently pushed away a few strands of hair out of her face. He glanced at the alarm clock. The clock read 8:00 A.M. in bright red numerals.

Nathan was contemplating whether to get out of bed and go begin the day. There was a lot to do.  
His other alternative was to remain in bed staring at his beautiful wife. Nathan decided to just lie around in bed. Nathan sighed and lovingly lifted her head from his chest and tenderly placed it on his pillow. He leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. Haley mumbled something as Nathan brought the covers back over her. He walked over to the window and pulled the curtains closed so Haley could get a little more sleep than he did.

Nathan took a quick shower and pulled on a pair of mesh shorts and a tee-shirt on. He walked out of his room and was about to tackle the mess downstairs. He didn't want Haley to carry the burden of the after party clean-up. So he figured he better get a move on.

On his way down the stairs he picked up some cups that he hadn't noticed the night before.  
That's when he saw it. That's when he saw them. Lucas and Brooke asleep on the couch. Together. Nathan laughed at this. He was happy that Lucas was alright after last night's events.  
They defiantly knew what one another needed, Nathan thought. He walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket and laid it over the two. Nathan mentally noted their positions. Lucas looked so protective of Brooke. Nathan saw that authentic look of contentment and pleasure on both their faces only when they were together.

Nathan continued on his way to the backyard not even stopping for a bite to eat. He figured he would eat with the rest of the gang when they got up. He grabbed a plastic bag and walked to the backyard.

To his surprise it was still very cool out, chilly as a matter of fact. This was not frequent for Los Angeles. By the time he had picked up the last cup, placed the last chair where it belonged, and removed all the clothes that were floating in the pool, he was exhausted. He sat down on the lounge chair and was just resting his eyes when he felt warm lips on his forehead.

"Thanks sweetie" Haley said "I would have helped you know"

"Yeah, I know, but you had enough to deal with yesterday" Nathan said moving over on the lounge chair giving Haley some room to site. "And I wanted you to get some sleep; I see that didn't work to well"

"Yeah, for maybe about half an hour, but you know I can't go long without you there" Haley said leaning on Nathan.

"We can go back up you know" Nathan said with a laugh.

"Believe me I would love to but Peyton and Jake are coming over soon" Haley said pulling Nathan up off the chair.

"So did you see those two inside?" Nathan asked Haley

"Yeah" Haley said with a laugh

"I'm not delusional, am I?" Nathan asked

"No, no you're not. They're just trying their hardest to ignore it" Haley said "It won't last long. It might have been easier for them to ignore or overlook it when they lived far away, but now"

"Yeah, they're already sleeping together" Nathan joked. The two walked into the kitchen laughing.

"So what do you want for breakfast?" Haley asked Nathan.

"I dunno, anything" Nathan said. "Can I help you make it though?"

"Nathan, I'm sorry but the only thing you can make is cereal, and that doesn't even count" Haley said laughing

"Hey" Nathan said grabbing her at the waist and tickling her.

"Okay…okay…you…can…get the…ingredients." Haley said between breaths.

"Okay" Nathan said satisfied that his torture had an affect.

"So pancakes?" Haley asked

"Yup, that sounds good" Nathan said getting out the milk.

Brooke shut her eyes tight because of the stubborn sunlight that was finding its way into the house. She wanted desperately to fall back asleep, but there was not hope. Her thoughts immediately went to the last night. For a split mille second Brooke panicked not knowing where she was. Then the events of the night before came rushing back. 'Lucas' she thought, and instantaneously a smile spread across her face.

She felt so warm and so protected. His arm was still wrapped around her midriff, his palm on the exposed skin of her stomach. She knew she had to get up. But what she needed was to 'not to get up'. Brooke wondered if anyone had seen them. She was oblivious to the blanket; she didn't think that someone had put it on them, because quite frankly it wasn't the blanket that was keeping her warm. She tilted her head up to see Lucas' face. He was still sleeping. So she figured she might as well try to fall asleep as well. Brooke fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

Peyton and Jake headed to Nathan and Haley's house to help with the clean up.

"So how do you think Lucas is doing?" Jake asked Peyton as they walked through the front door of the house.

"I'd say pretty well" Peyton said with a laugh looking at the scene in front of them. Jake laughed at this.

Peyton and Jake walked into the kitchen hand in hand. What they saw was unanticipated. Flour and Pancake mix flying all over the place. Nathan and Haley were covered in flour. Nathan and Haley were staring at each other from opposite sides of the kitchen counter.

"Oh I'm going to get you" Nathan said jumping over the counter. Haley let out a high pitched scream. Just as Nathan grabbed her and sat her on the table and was about to pour flour on her Haley began to plea.

"Okay Okay you win." Haley said

"Hah" Nathan said with a triumphant laugh. He bent down to plant a kiss on Haley's lips. Haley kissed him but before Nathan knew it he felt something crack on his head.

"Eggs, you forgot the eggs" Haley said with a laugh.

"Oh my god" Peyton yelled at Nathan and Haley. Jake couldn't help but laugh. "What is going on?" She asked.

"Well see mom, we were trying to make breakfast and …"

"Things got out of hand" Nathan said finishing Haley's sentence. "But you know it is fun" Nathan added and exchanged looks with Haley. An illusory smile appeared on Haley's face as she nodded her head slightly.

"Oh no…" Peyton began to say as she tried to flea the kitchen.

"Oh yes" Haley and Nathan said throwing flour and pancake mix at the two.

"Two on Two…okay fine we can play this game" Jake said grabbing a few eggs and chucking them at Nathan.

"Bring it on" Peyton said and with that the breakfast war had started.

Lucas was awaken by laughing, screaming, yelling and squealing that was coming from what he guessed was the kitchen. He looked down at Brooke. She was still fast asleep. He decided against going to see what was going on in the kitchen. He didn't want to move, he was afraid of waking her up. So he laid there just watching her sleep. He gently moved away a couple strands of hair so he could see her face. He marveled at the sensation that was Brooke Davis. He didn't know how long he had been lying there before…

"So how long have you been up?" Brooke asked without actually looking up at him.

"Just a couple of minutes" Lucas lied. 'How did she know I was up?' Lucas wondered.

Brooke said something but Lucas didn't catch it because of the loud screams and laughter coming from the kitchen.

"You're a lair Lucas Scott" Brooke said with a smirk on her face as she pulled him up with her off the couch. Lucas laughed at how well she knew him. Brooke knew that he had been up longer. The change in his heart rhythm was a dead give away. His heart always beats a tad bit faster when he is around her.

"What the hell is going on in there?' Lucas asked Brooke. "I dunno, we're about to find out."

As Brooke walked toward the kitchen with Lucas behind her, she saw a cloud of white particles.  
She gave Lucas a doubtful look. He returned the same dubious look and shrugged his shoulders.

Lucas and Brooke walked in and exchanged glances of pure shock. Haley and Nathan were sitting on the floor behind the counter with their weapons in there hands. Peyton and Jake were sitting on the floor behind the other side of the kitchen counter.

"Truce?" Nathan asked

"Truce?" Jake said laughing

The happy foursome got up and noticed Brooke and Lucas standing there exceedingly amused.

"Did we miss anything?" Brooke asked with a laugh

"Not breakfast obviously" Lucas said picking up a pancake box.

"Hey it was fun and besides the real question is did we miss anything" Nathan said before earning an elbow in the ribs from Haley. Everyone gave a small laugh.

"Anyone up for some real breakfast?" Haley asked everyone taking the spotlight off of Lucas and Brooke. Brooke mouthed 'thank you' to Haley.

"Nate man, I don't remember Kyle getting any good shots last night. Do you?" Jake asked.

"No, why?" Nathan said looking at his brother. Everyone turned their attention to Lucas.

"What?" Lucas asked feeling a little self conscious with everyone staring at him.

Brooke started laughing. "He had a little run in with the cabinet door" she said as everyone started laughing.

Chapter 6 Part 1

The gang was sitting around the counter finishing their so called breakfast. Logan and Jenny were there as well. Peyton was trying to get Logan to eat.

"Logan, Sweetie please at something" Peyton begged her son.

"But mommy I HATE eggs" Logan said putting on his best pouting look.

"Peyt. Come on just let him go play or something, if he wants to eat, he'll ask" Nathan said siding with the child.

"Yeah" Logan chimed in.

"Don't yeah me, just eat, sweetie" Peyton said laughing.

"Uh uh" Logan said shutting his mouth and folding his arms. The group laughed at this display of refusal.

"He gets this from you, you do know that" Jake said laughing.

"Uh hu" Peyton said wincing just as the words left her mouth.

"Told you" Jake said

"Hey buddy, C'mere" Lucas said to Logan. He got up and walked over to Lucas. Lucas picked him up and whispered something into his ear.

"Alright?" Lucas asked

"Really" Logan asked "Pinky promise?" the child asked.

"Pinky promise" Lucas said putting the child down and intertwining pinkies. Logan walked over to his original seat in front of what seemed to him like the forbidden green eggs and ham that Dr. Seuss writes about. He picked up his fork and started eating. Everyone looked at Lucas.

"What did you say?" Peyton asked. "It better not be like what this one does with Jenny" Peyton said pointing to Brooke.

"Hey …" Brooke said pretending to be offended.

"Don't even go there Brooke, Aaron Carter for vegetables" Peyton said with a raised eyebrow.

"He is sooo cute" Jenny added with a giggle.

"Jen babe he's such a little punk" Nathan added. Even Nathan was protective of Jenny.

"Is not" Jenny defended her favorite celebrity "he's my second favorite singer, Brooke's my first"

"Aww thanks sweetie" Brooke said giving Jenny a kiss on the cheek. "besides the blond guys are always the hottest"  
Brooke found herself looking at Lucas. She didn't notice that he was looking directly into her eyes.

"Caught" Jake said

"Yup, busted Brooke" Nathan said. All the guys laughed. Brooke let out a laugh and turned around.

"So Lucas what did you bribe the little guy with?" Haley asked changing the subject and once again taking the heat off Brooke.

"I don't bribe children…" Lucas said with a laugh. "Okay 2 weeks worth of ice cream" Lucas confessed. Peyton shook her head in disapproval but laughed along with everyone else.

"Hey, I know how he feels, I hate eggs" Lucas said.

"So Brooke do you know who's doing the half time show at the game?" Haley asked Brooke

'No, I haven't heard" Brooke said. "It should be good I mean it's the championship game."

"Jen babe, didn't you want to do the talent show that they're having during the half time?" Peyton asked her daughter.

"No" Jenny said in a low disappointed voice. "I don't think so"

"Why not pumpkin?" Jake asked. "Everyone has taken all the songs, and I don't like any other ones" Jenny said. Everyone hated to see a child giving up hope so easily.

"Hey Jen, come with me, I think I've got something you can use" Brooke said holding her hand out to Jenny.

"What's up Brooke?" Haley asked. Haley knew that look of determination that Brooke had on her face.

"What do you have in mind" Jake asked

"I'm going to give her one of my songs" Brooke said.

"Yes, I can sing one of your songs. Really?" Jenny asked. She couldn't believe it.

"Yep" Brooke said, laughing at how excited Jenny was.

"Oh Brooke before you go" Peyton said and nodded at Haley "We…uh have something to ask you"

"Yeah?" Brooke said getting a little suspicious.

"Okay can you do us a huge favor?" Haley asked.

"I guess, depends on what it is…as long as it's PG-13. sure… I'm even willing to go as far as R"  
Brooke said with a smirk on her face. Everyone laughed quietly.

"Huh?" Logan said looking at Brooke in a weird way. Everyone asked.

"Don't worry bout Logan" Nathan said. Logan just shrugged his shoulders and continued eating his breakfast.

"Brooke you have to write a column for the magazine" Haley said all too quickly.

"See Tutor Girl, I would have said yes, but something makes me not want to do this" Brooke said staring at both Haley and Peyton.

"Umm well it's about umm" Haley started off

"Wow come on I really want to know now" Jake said.

"Yeah come on already" Lucas said

"Shut up" Haley and Peyton both yelled in unison.

"See that's why I didn't say anything" Nathan said laughing at the guys.

"Well….." Brooke said putting her hands on her hips.

"It's Relationships: Friendship and Love" Haley said quickly.

Brooke let out a laugh. "You're kidding right…I'm telling you right now you're better of asking a blond to write this…no offence Peyt." Brooke said with a laugh.

"None taken" Peyton asked. "Brooke please"

"Tigger…." Haley started to beg. She saw the look of negation in Brooke's eyes. "Oh wait or was it Cheer..." Haley knew she got Brooke.

"Fine!" Brooke said before Haley could finish. Lucas chuckled and shook his head as he got up to wash his plate. Everyone laughed quietly to themselves. Brooke and Lucas had stopped using their nicknames in high school, but even though the two would hate to acknowledge it there had been an occasional slip of tongue every now and then.

"Hah" Haley said "I'm good"

"Hah… you're dead" Brooke said mockingly with her famous defiant stare.

Chapter 6 Part 2

A COUPLE HOURS LATER

Brooke's House

"Okay, Jenny are you ready? Are you sure that is the song you want to sing?" Brooke asked

"Yup, I love it" Jenny said. Her voice was filled with enthusiasm.

"Okay, as long as you like it" Brooke said

"When did you write it?" Jenny asked interested.

"Oh this one, I don't know, in high school I think" Brooke said trying to remember.

"Cool, can we go swimming now?" Jenny asked "I already have my bathing suit on and Mom told me for us to meet her in the court when we were done.

"That's right. Let me go get changed, wait right here okay" Brooke said going into her room.

Jenny nodded her head and continued looking through the rest of Brooke's songs.

Brooke was deciding whether to wear the black or white bikini. She eventually settled on the black one. She threw her hair up and let a few strands fall out. She found a pair of short shorts and slipped them on.

"Ready?" Brooke asked Jenny

"Yup" Jenny answered taking Brooke's hand and walking out the door and heading to the court.

The weather was unbearable. It was extraordinarily hot. The sun was shining at its fullest potential. Usually after such heat a period of heavy rain would come. Brooke loved when it rained and the coincidence was that Lucas loved the rain as well. They found the sound soothing.

Brooke looked over to the basket ball court where she saw four figures playing and then she saw Haley and Peyton sitting under a tree. Logan was sitting near the curb watching the game carefully.

It was Jake and Nathan playing against Skills, who had come to visit for the big game in a few weeks and Lucas.

Brooke walked by the court on the way toward Haley and Peyton. She took in the sight of Lucas without his shirt. His muscles bulging when he let a shot go, passed the ball, or blocked a shot.  
'This is going to get difficult. Fast' Brooke thought to herself. Could she overcome temptation? She didn't know, but she would try. He was way too appealing to her. She tore her eyes away from Lucas and continued walking.

Lucas caught a glimpse Brooke and his attention was immediately diverted from the game to Brooke. As Brooke got closer Lucas' game became messy.

"Hey… MAN!!! Get you're head in the game" Skills laughed.

Peyton and Haley had got up to meet Brooke near the court. They sat down near Logan to watch the guys play.

"Jenny sweetie, could you go inside and get some sun block" Peyton asked. Jenny nodded her head and went across the lawn to go get it.

"Oh you guys, Nathan and I were thinking it would be fun if we all took a vacation" Haley said

"Sounds good" Peyton said. They both looked at Brooke.

"I don't know you guys, but I mean it sounds like fun" Brooke said.

"It would be awesome if we went somewhere cold." Haley said. It would be a nice change for once. Somewhere other than sunny California.

"Sounds good, we'll see" Brooke said. She was beginning to like the idea. Besides if Lucas was going to go, so was she. She just wanted to be near him. She couldn't believe she just admitted that to herself. She gave a small laugh.

"What?" Haley asked. Haley thought it odd that Brooke laughed out off nowhere.

"Come on let's go see what the score is" Peyton said pulling Brooke and Haley up.

As Brooke came into close proximity, Lucas' attentiveness went out the door. Jake and Nathan took advantage of this.

Nathan stood at the top of the key with Lucas guarding him. "You know Bro, I'm going to ask Brooke to come by wearing her bathing suit more often" Nathan said

"Why's that" Lucas asked with a smile trying to play stupid.

"Oh no reason" Nathan said taking a shot and sinking it.

"Okay that's it" Skills yelled "Time"

Skills walked over to the girls who were watching the game.

"What's up? Why'd you guys stop playing Brooke asked" She was defiantly enjoying watching Lucas.

"Brooke babe, you know I love you right" Skills said "but you have to put something on" Skills said laughing.

"What?" Brooke gave Skills an amused look just as Lucas and Nathan were coming toward them with water in their hands. They all began walking towards the pool.

"You see babe, you're affecting my boy's concentration over here" Skills said patting Lucas on the back. Lucas shook his head and laughed.

"Can we go swimming" Logan piped in.

"I'm with him" Lucas said changing the subject. The group laughed at Lucas' attempt to change the subject.

"What Lucas Can't take the heat?" Brooke said with the sexist smile he had ever seen. Her one essential fault was that she said it by the edge of the pool. Lucas looked at her in admiration. She looked incredible in her clothes, or in this case lack of it. She knew that look and she knew it well.

Lucas got up and walked over to Brooke. "Yeah… I can take it" Lucas said in a voice hardly  
capable of being heard. They were looking intensely into one another's eyes. They were mere inches apart. They could practically feel one another's body heat.

"Really?" Brooke asked.

"Mhm, but it looks like you need to go for a little swim" Lucas said with a smirk on his face. That was when he grabbed her by the waist and tried to push her in, being careful not to fall in himself.

"Nooo" Brooke yelled as she held on to his arm. They struggled for a couple of seconds when Brooke gave up.

"Fine" Brooke gasped. "If I'm going in… then you're coming"

Lucas had no time to react to her comment, but nonetheless was soon submerged in water.

Once Brooke hit the water she began to swim away, she had to try to get out of the pool before Lucas caught up with her. Just then a pair of arms found their way around her waist. Brooke gasped.

"You thought you would get away, huh?" Lucas said moving even closer to her. There bodies were pressed up against one another.

"No I knew I wouldn't" Brooke said with a smile. Lucas chuckled. His chest vibrated against hers.

"You're amazing, you know that" Lucas said kissing her on the forehead. Brooke flashed him one of her gorgeous smiles. He saw something in her eyes. Something he saw occasionally. Something that gave him hope, a feeling of desire and expectation rolled into one. There was something about that familiar look in her eyes that was optimistic.

A shiver went through Brooke's body. She wasn't sure if it was because of Lucas' close propinquity or that the water in the pool was cold.

"Hey, you're cold" Lucas said feeling her body tremble "Let's get out"

Brooke shook her head. She didn't want to say anything. She never knew what to say to him after he made comments like he just had. She was always afraid she'd say something that would give her feelings away. Just as they began to walk over to the stairs it started to rain. Not your typical rain, it began to pour. The rain got heavier by the second.

"Oh my god!" Brooke said looking at Lucas.

"Come on let's get out before it thun..." Lucas' words were cut of by lightning flashing and thunder. He took Brooke's hand and helped her out of the pool. They quickly ran to the back door of the house. It was locked. They looked around and noticed that they were the only ones that remained outside. Brooke looked around thinking what to do, but Lucas was way ahead of her.

"Come on" Lucas said as they both hurried over to the gazebo.

**Chapter 6 Part 3**

They were both out of breath as got to the gazebo. The rain was coming down hard and showed absolutely no signs of stopping. The palm trees were beginning to bend at their trunks. The tree's curvature was evident. The sky was murky and there was a sudden drop in temperature.

"Wow that was unexpected!" Lucas said out of breath as he walked over to the counter and grabbed a towel.

"Which part? The rain or your plan of throwing me in the pool backfiring?" Brooke said with a smirk on her face.

"Both I guess" Lucas said with chuckle. Brooke laughed quietly and turned around to look outside. She wrapped her arms around herself because of the cold temperature. Brooke shivered, this was evident to Lucas. He walked over and gently wrapped a towel around her shoulders.  
His hands remained on her for a few seconds before he stepped away and looked outside as well.  
He took a towel and dried his hair.

They just stood their in complete silence. It was comfortable, tranquil stillness. That's when she remembered. She remembered what Haley had mentioned. They were worried for him. It had slipped Brooke's mind with everything that had happened.

Haley had mentioned that Dan's heart problem was hereditary. Brooke knew that Haley had meant to say something else, but couldn't. Haley had carefully given Brooke a few hints; so that Brooke could ask the right questions and Haley would answer them truthfully.

A few years ago Lucas had made Nathan and Haley promise that they wouldn't say anything, but because Dan had had another heart attack recently they began to be concerned about Lucas' wellbeing. Lucas had refused a few years back that he would not take the test. Everyone tried to convince him, but it was hopeless. Even Karen's efforts weren't enough. During those years Dan got better and the whole situation just subsided, consequently Brooke never found out.

Suddenly the serenity was disturbed by Brooke's apprehensive voice.

"Lucas?" Brooke said in an uneasy voice. Lucas tore his eyes away from what he was looking and turned to Brooke. He could sense something in her voice that made him feel apprehensive.

"I want to know something" Brooke said in a low and hesitant voice. She focused her gaze on him.

"Yeah, sure" Lucas said with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Dan had another heart attack…" She said slowly watching closely to see his reaction. As the words left Brooke's mouth Lucas knew for sure that she knew about his possible heart condition.

Lucas looked into her eyes for a few seconds and turned away. He walked over to the opposite side of the gazebo and turned to look outside.

"I'm not taking it Brooke" He said after a few seconds. They were the longest seconds of Brooke's life. "I don't want to know" He said.

"You know what? You are so selfish and stubborn" Brooke said starting to get angry.  
"What?" Lucas said turning around, becoming frustrated himself. "You have know idea how I feel"

"Probably, but then again it's not like you bothered telling me" Brooke said almost yelling.

Inside Haley and Nathan's House

Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Jake sat in the kitchen talking when they began to hear yelling. The windows were open so the sound traveled well. They couldn't make out any words but they could tell that it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

"Uh Oh" Nathan said. "I'm guessing Brooke just told him huh?" He said looking at Haley.

"Told him what?" Jake asked interested.

Nathan explained the whole story to Peyton and Jake. The short version anyway. He tried to ignore the sound of the yelling.

Gazebo

"What about the people you would leave behind? Huh? What about them?" Brooke said angrily with tears threatening to spill. "What about all the people that love and care about you?"

"I'm sorry Brooke, I'm not taking it" Lucas said in a lower voice then before.

Brooke never wanted to cry in front of Lucas. She didn't want to seem weak. So as soon as the tears began to stream down her face she turned away.

"I can't be here right now, I can't take this" She said in a sad yet bitter voice and was about to leave.

"Brooke…" Lucas said grabbing her hand. She shook his hand off and left.

Brooke walked through the cold rain to her house. She was so angry, but most of all she was scared.

Haley looked out the window and saw Brooke leave the gazebo.

"I guess that didn't go so well" She said looking at Nathan.

"Don't tell me you expected it to go well when you you told her" Nathan said.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Haley said disappointed.

When Brooke came home she took a hot bath. A million thoughts went rushing through her mind. What if he was sick? What if something happened to him? What if he was okay? Her mind didn't get any rest. She wasn't being optimistic in her thoughts, that was for sure. She was thinking of worst case scenarios. She couldn't imagine losing him.

Brooke got out of the shower, put on her pjs and went to lie down on her bed. She tilted her head to the side and saw a picture of Lucas and her standing on her night stand among other pictures.  
She sighed and closed her eyes attempting to sleep. She figured if she falls asleep that when she wakes up she'll realize that none of this is true.

It was 3am and Lucas couldn't manage to fall asleep. He was lying on his back when something hit him. Something he promised himself he would never do again. He realized that today he made Brooke cry. Back in high school he promised that he would never hurt her. Lucas fell into an uneasy sleep. He was angry with himself.

The next day Lucas woke up and walked into his kitchen. He made some coffee and then decided to go over to Nathan's house.

"Hey Bro" Lucas said as he walked up to Nathan who was shooting hoops alone.

"Hey man, want to play" Nathan asked.

"No thanks, have you seen Brooke?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah she's in the house with Peyton and Hales" Nathan said as a matter-of-factly.

"Thanks" Lucas said leaving Nathan to his so called religious practice.

Lucas walked into the house to see the girls baking cookies.

"Hey" Lucas said looking at all of them, and then he focused his gaze on Brooke.

"Hey ya" Haley said all perky.

"Hey what's up" Peyton asked

"Uncle Luke" Jenny said running to him. Lucas picked her up

"Hey you" Lucas said as he once again focused his gaze on Brooke  
Brooke remained silent and looked away from him. "Hey guys I'll see you later, okay?" Brooke said looking at Peyton and Haley. They both nodded.

She stopped by Lucas to say bye to Jenny. "We'll work on you're song later okay?" Brooke said.  
Jenny nodded. Brooke then finally couldn't avoid looking into Lucas' eyes. Lucas noticed that Brooke's eyes were full of hurt. Brooke just brushed past and walked away. Haley and Peyton looked away as if they have no idea what was going on.

Lucas couldn't take it anymore. "Hey, I'll see you guys later" Lucas said putting Jenny down and leaving.

"Hey Nat, do u know where Brooke went?" Lucas asked.

"Um I don't know, she just got in her car and left" Nathan said just as the basketball went into the net with a swoosh. Lucas got into his car, which had arrived last night and left as well.

As Brooke was driving her car, she was trying to understand why Lucas would not want to take the test. She started to understand slowly. Maybe not understand but at least try to see his side.

Brooke could not fall asleep that night. She was tired of tossing and turning so she decided to go sit outside. She threw on a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. She put her hair up and got a water bottle before she steeped outside.

As she came outside she felt a cold breeze blow towards her. The sky was clear and the stars were shining bright. All the tension somehow left her body. She sat down near the curb and just looked up at the sky. 'This is his choice Brooke' She thought to herself, 'Let him do what he wants' She tried to rationalize but despite all her efforts she couldn't help but be angry with him.

Lucas couldn't sleep either. He decided to go let out his stress on the basketball court. He put on his basketball shorts and his sweatshirt. He grabbed his basketball as he walked out the door. As he looked toward the court, thats when he saw her.

'What's she doing out this late' Lucas wondered. He took a breath and walked up to her slowly.  
Lucas sat down next to her. Brooke didn't say a word, or look at him for that matter. Lucas looked at her, and then he turned his gaze to what she was looking at. The sky.

Lucas slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was folded once. Lucas hadn't read it yet. He hand it to Brooke slowly. She took it from him gently.  
As she started opening it, Lucas' heart began to beat faster. For the first time he was worried about the results.

Brooke read through the letter once, twice and even a third time. She wanted to make sure she wasn't missing anything. She looked up at the sky and then threw her arms around Lucas.

"Whoa" Lucas said surprised.

"Thank God" Brooke whispered.

"I guess that's a good thing" Lucas said.

"Wait you didn't look at the results?" Brooke asked still in his embrace.

"No" Lucas said. He felt so relieved. It was like a million pounds had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt free. The burden of the unknown had been lifted.

"What made you change your mind?" Brooke asked after a little while.

"I don't know, you ignoring me" Lucas said with a quiet laugh. Brooke gave him a dubious look.

"And..." Lucas began slowly

"And?" Brooke reiterated his thought.

"And a while ago I promised that I would never make you cry again" Lucas said holding her a little tighter. He did this inattentively. "So when I saw how upset you got"

"Of course I was going to get upset…what did you expect a happy dance?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.  
'Oh no, Not that look' Lucas thought. He couldn't resist that look. They talked about random things for a little while before Brooke got up and hugged him 'good night'.

"You really don't know how much you mean to me" She whispered into his ear and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek before she walked away back into her house.

The feeling that he was overcome with was indescribable. Lucas turned around shaking his head in disbelief with a huge smile on his face. 'She's amazing…she's the one' Lucas thought to himself as he began to do what he did best. Shoot hoops.

Chapter 7

The next few weeks were incredibly stressful for everyone. The atmosphere was hectic. Peyton was busy with the kids, running errands and trying to get the finishing shots for the magazine that would be due out on stands in about two weeks. Haley was trying her hardest to finish editing, at least. Brooke was busy as well. Despite the fact that she was on hiatus she kept herself busy. She was helping Jenny with her song that she was to sing at the talent show during half time. Brooke also needed to get started on the article that she promised to write for the magazine.

The guys were busy as well, but doing only one thing. Practicing. Their practices were very demanding, but everyone did their own preparation on the side as well. Nathan would go running in the morning. He would wake up before sunrise and return just about the time Peyton would put Jenny and Logan on the bus for school.

Jake would shoot the ball around for hours. One time Jake went 1 hour before missing his first shot and that was only because Logan had startled him.

Lucas on the other hand would spend a lot of his time in the gym. He was worried. Lucas only had one weakness really, and that was his shoulder. It had healed completely from the time of his accident to now, but despite that fact it still remained in the back of his mind. Lucas was also troubled about playing against his former team, the Knicks.

Brooke and Haley were both sitting in Haley's office in downtown L.A. attempting to write. There was complete silence. Brooke was sitting in a huge comfy chair with her legs hanging off one of the armrests tapping her pen. Haley was sitting at her desk resting her head on one her palms. Writer's Block.

"Okay I don't know what to do" Haley said giving up.

"Same here" Brooke said staring at an empty sheet of paper. "What do you say we get out of here tutor girl?"

"I was just thinking the same thing tigger" Haley said grabbing her bag. The two laughed on their way out the door.

"Procrastination is never good" Haley said in the car as they drove down the boulevard.

"When you're the boss... it doesn't matter" Brooke said with a laugh.

"True" Haley agreed.

On the way home Haley was forced by Brooke into shopping. They walked around a few boutiques and still managed to spend over a grand, each. They bought everything and anything imaginable. They stopped by to get some ice cream and looked at some puppies in the window of a pet shop.

"Awwww" Brooke said "they're so small"

"They're soooo cute" Haley added in the same voice as Brooke had just used.

"I want one" Brooke said laughing.

"Yeah I know, come on lets go before you actually buy one" Haley said looking at Brooke who looked so sad as they were leaving. She looked like a child being deprived of her favorite toy.

As Brooke and Haley pulled up to the court they saw Peyton, Jenny and Logan watching Nathan and Jake play a game of two on two.

Just as Haley got out of the car with her bags she heard a loud moan.

"Ugh…Oh no…C'mon Hales" Nathan said

"What?" Haley asked with an innocent look on her face.

"This is all your fault" Nathan said pointing at Brooke.

"What, I enjoy corrupting her" Brooke said laughing.

"She's already taking up my closet space" Nathan said pretending to pout.

Lucas was in his gym. It was a small private gym in his backyard, nothing big, just one room.

He was on the bench press. '200, 201, 202, 203…' He counted silently in his head. He was getting all his anxiety and stress out of his system before the big game tomorrow. This was an important game for him.

Brooke leaned against the doorway as she set down a bottle of water on the counter near Lucas' towel. It was almost as if Lucas sensed her presence.

"Hey you" Lucas said as he lifted the bar one last time and put it on its proper resting place.

"Oh don't stop because I'm here, I was really enjoying the view" Brooke said with a laugh as she looked at his chest, the lines of his defined muscles. Lucas gave a quiet laugh due to his lack of air. It took all her willpower not to touch.

"You should really relax before tomorrow's game" Brooke advised Lucas handing him a water bottle.

"Yeah, I know" Lucas said nodding his head taking a sip of the water. He took the towel and wiped the sweat of his face. "Hey, you wanna go take a walk?" Lucas asked Brooke.

"Yeah sure" Brooke agreed.

They walked for a while into the wooded area that surrounded their homes. They were both taking in the beautiful surroundings. The trees were tall and all the flowers were already in bloom.

"So how was you're day?" Lucas asked.

"Okay, me and tutor girl went shopping" Brooke said "She bought the cutest outfit; Nathan is going to drop dead when he sees her."

Lucas laughed "Don't you have an article to write"

"Ugh don't remind me" Brooke said remembering her dreadful responsibility.

"Why? You're a great writer. Brooke you finished journalism, in NYU" Lucas reminded her.

"Yeah but for it to be good writing, you need to know what you're writing about" Brooke said looking at the night sky.

"From what I can remember, you know a lot about friendship and… love" Lucas said. Brooke pulled her gaze from the stars in the night sky to Lucas. She gave him a weak smile, and it broke his heart, knowing that he broke hers at one point.

"Things change" Brooke said with a laugh.

"So do people" Lucas added watching for her reaction. Brooke looked at him, deep into his eyes and then slowly nodded her head.

"I know" she said in a low voice and smiled. He felt his heart skip a beat as she agreed with him.

"C'mon, let's head back" Lucas said with a smile. It was amazing how all his stress managed to disappear while just walking and talking with Brooke. She always put him at ease.

Flashback

New York City

It was 2am and it was the night before the big championship game. Lucas was starting tomorrow. He was tossing and turning for half an hour before he reached over to grab his cell phone. He dialed a familiar number.

"Hello" the voice sounded course. He guessed she had been sleeping.

"Oh sorry" Lucas was quick to apologize. Despite the fact that he called her a lot of times at this hour, he still apologized every time. She was already used to it. It was expected in some strange way.

"For..?" The voice said with a quiet laugh.

"Waking you up" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Its okay, you okay? She said in a low voice. She asked him if he was okay every time, even thought she knew he was.

"No, no everything is fine… I don't know it's just that tomorrow's the game and…" Lucas said before he was cut of by her voice.

"I'll meet you in 15" She said with a laugh.

"Thank you" Lucas said.

Lucas threw on a pair of sweats and grabbed a sweatshirt. On his way to central park he stopped by the coffee shop and bought a cup. As he walked by the tall buildings he became anxious to see her.

He walked into the park and spotted her right away near the water. She was wearing her black tight sweat suit and had her hair down. She had her hands in her pocket and was looking at the stars. The night was colder then the both of them had expected.

"Hey you" Lucas said giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey" She said a little startled.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you" Lucas said with a quiet laugh.

"Its okay" She said "So what's up?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know" He said with a laugh. He had forgotten why he called her; well he forgot the excuse anyway.

"Okay" she said with a laugh as they turned to walk.

"Here" he said handing her the cup of coffee that he had picked up on the way. "I hadn't noticed it was this cold"

"Thanks" She said taking the cup from him. His fingers brushed up against hers just as their eyes met.

They walked for about two hours before they headed back. She had erased his worries and got rid of all his doubts about the next day. She reassured and encouraged him. She lifted his mood with just a few words, with just her presence for that matter. Lucas walked her back to her apartment which was only a couple blocks away from his.

"Good night" She said as kissed him on the cheek. Lucas embraced her. They stood there for what seemed forever.

"Thank you, Brooke" Lucas whispered into her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Anytime" She said with a smile on her face "and you'll do fine tomorrow, don't worry"

"I'll see you there" He asked.

"Of course" She said as she turned around and walked through the door the doorman was holding open for her.

Lucas stood there just watching her retreating figure. He sighed with a smile and began to walk towards his apartment.

End of Flashback

As they walked on the path that led them back to their houses Lucas put his arm around her.

Brooke relaxed under him and put her arm around his waist.

Lucas walked Brooke to her front door and hugged her, and just like old times her whispered "thank-you" and kissed the top of her head.

"You know, you really need to stop thanking me for these things Lucas" She said

He felt her smile into his chest. They both laughed. He gave her head one last kiss before he let her go. She smiled at him and turned around…reluctantly.


End file.
